Our Sermon Section
By Betty - 9 Nov 2012
In Reference to: 24 November 2012 - Halloween Versus God’s Heavenly Will
God bless you, Frank, for all your work, but I, too, was quite surprised by the sermon.
Unfortunately, I imagine that, based on the sermon (but not the majority of responses), at least some people could be left with the thought that this group is extremely extreme. I know and appreciate that many people feel as you do about Halloween, though. Mike, I keep thinking about your poor cat. I assume it didn't live(?)
I read all the responses and particularly enjoyed several of them. Yes, I thought the origin of Halloween was All Hallows Eve/Christian, and yes, there is something to be said for "lightening up" WHEN no one is getting hurt. The lightening up part reminds me of someone being so disturbed by certain words in a song being sung in Sunday School--and yet not refraining from making comments which reflected a lack of compassion and understanding toward vegetarianism for ethical/moral reasons.
I am well aware, from the time our kids were in school and my husband was still teaching, that things "had" to change a bit--from Halloween and "scary" costumes to a "fall festival", which is fine. Quite simply, after reading the sermon, I just thought, Oh dear, Halloween is what you make of it. Frankly, some rock concerts scare me far more than kids just having a good time, especially the little ones accompanied by their parents. It seemed like the one night during the year that I could be the "real me". By that, I don't mean doing ANYTHING harmful but simply letting loose a little with the make believe. That being said, I got pretty lazy after all those years of making costumes, handing out candy, etc., so lately we tend to just turn off the lights during trick or treating hours. To each his own.
The sermon and responses just once more reflected the range of beliefs in this group. Honestly, sometimes extreme conservatism scares me too. Happy November!
Betty